Measurement of the onset of nucleate boiling in liquid xenon

TL;DR

This paper presents the first precise measurements of the superheat temperature for bubble nucleation in liquid xenon at specific pressures, aiding the design of thermal management in xenon-based detectors.

Contribution

It provides the first accurate determination of the onset superheat temperature for bubble nucleation in liquid xenon at different pressures.

Findings

Measured superheat temperatures at two pressures with uncertainties.

Determined the heat flux at bubble nucleation onset.

Results can inform thermal sink design in xenon detectors.

Abstract

We report the first precision measurement of the superheat temperature required for bubble nucleation in liquid xenon of $\Delta T_{wall,ONB}$ = (16.9$\pm$0.5) K and $\Delta T_{wall,ONB}$ = (19.2$^{+0.4}_{-1.1}$) K at pressures of P = $(0.98\pm0.02)$ bar and P = $(1.32^{+0.05}_{-0.01})$ bar, respectively. Both are measured at a subcooled bulk fluid temperature of $\sim$ 162 K. A dedicated liquid xenon setup is used to measure the temperature at which bubble nucleation first appears on the flat surface of a resistor. The associated average heat flux at the surface of the resistor is determined using fluid dynamics simulations. Future experiments can use these experimental results to determine the likelihood of boiling in liquid xenon and to design effective thermal sinks that prevent bubble nucleation.